We recently bought an apartment in Marbella and are planning to be here a max of (say) 3 - 4 months a year. We knew that at some point we would end up needing to see a GP, but that happened sooner than expected when my wife got a nasty mosquito bite on her eyelid last night. The eye swelled up and a Farmacia that we went into said she needed a cortizone injection. When hen I asked where to go, they suggested one of the private clinics / hospitals with an A&E department between town and the Arch. We went, were seen promptly by a doctor who spoke passable (but hardly fluent) English and charged €115 for a consultation and the jab, which is pretty reasonable by London standards. I have no idea how it rates for local treatment, though.

We actually have excellent travel insurance with only a £50 excess per incident, so cost is not the determining issue. But I would like to find out whether there are better treatment options for this sort of issue, or something more mundane (say an infection that might require antibiotics). There are obviously a few English speaking doctors who advertise widely, but are any strongly recommended, and how easy is it to get to see them ?

Is Helicopteros Sanitarios worth thinking about ? I suspect not in our situation, as we would need. to be seeing a doctor a fair bit for the annual fee to work out cheaper than paying a £50 excess each time there is a problem. BTW, have I understood that there is a single annual payment and that this covers all call out for the whole year ? Would they give treatment like a cortizone injection, or expect one to go and see another doctor after diagnosing the need ? I suppose they would be the best option if there is a real emergency and a trip to hospital is required, or will a local ambulance do just as well ??

Presumably you are aware that (at least for the time being, pre-Brexit), you could have gone to any public A&E and used an EHIC? I would imagine at the Marbella Hospital you would not have had too much difficulty with language.If it's mundane issues that you can self-diagnose, pharmacies will dispense pretty much anything you ask for, without a prescription.

Don't worry about what people think, they don't do it very often

"Acquiring a dog may be the only opportunity a human ever has to choose a relative," Mordecai Siegal 1935-2010.

Why didn't you go to the emergencias department of your local hospital or your local health service clinic, ambulatoria, with your EHIC card?Treatment would have been free.CheersGerrymust type faster as the two previous posts have said the same thing more or less.

No, no current EHIC card (yes, I really do need to get one) and I had no wish to spend 4 hours (or however long) waiting around in a queue. We are used to paying for private medical treatment in London and with only a £50 excess on the insurance (which will anyway also cover the medication my wife was prescribed), I was happy to go down the private route.

I think members may be a little confused as to what exactly you're asking. To be fair, you did clearly say cost is not an issue,

Espana101 wrote:...cost is not the determining issue.

...but unless there are any medically qualified people here, I doubt if anyone can really say whether you could get better treatment elsewhere,

Espana101 wrote: But I would like to find out whether there are better treatment options for this sort of issue, or something more mundane (say an infection that might require antibiotics).

As I and others have said, Spanish farmácias will happily dispense the "mundane" things without prescription, but I guess what you're actually asking for is recommendations for private clinics in the Marbella area?

Espana101 wrote:There are obviously a few English speaking doctors who advertise widely, but are any strongly recommended, and how easy is it to get to see them

I can't personally recommend, because I've never used private and don't know the area well, but I would have thought that if you pay for private, there's never really going to be an issue getting to see someone.

Don't worry about what people think, they don't do it very often

"Acquiring a dog may be the only opportunity a human ever has to choose a relative," Mordecai Siegal 1935-2010.

Perhaps my post was not clear, and I should have spelled out the context a little more. In London we have a private GP. If there is a problem we either go and see him or he comes and sees us. I am therefore used to paying for medical care, and am prepared to pay to get treatment at a time and place convenient to me, from a doctor who has got to know my family over the years. Over here I have the bonus that the cost to me is capped at £50 per 'incident', so there is really no reason not to seek out private treatment here.

What I am not sure about is how the Spanish are used to getting their private medical care. Do they have a 'family' GP, and if so how do I find a reliable English speaking one in Marbella ? Or, would they tend to use clinics like the one we went to yesterday - I guess not, as it was quite expensive and impersonal, although also pretty busy in their outpatient section.

Then I was wondering whether a service like Helicoptoros Sanitarios was so goo, that it was worth considering as an alternative, on the basis that it also offers an emergency response service, which a GP would not.

Helicopteros is ok. for an ambulance quickly or a home visit. On exchanging experiences with friends we think they are a bit eager to refer patients for uneccessary specialist consultations and procedures!

In my experience helicopteros is excellent. It is not expensive and provides a home visit gp visit complete with attending nurse and paramedic. You can also see a gp at their offices in fuengirola or marbella. The response time is very good . In my view the big advantage is that if you require an emergency ambulance you can be sure one will attend , fully staffed and take you to hospital. I would not be certain a public ambulance would either be available or sufficiently professional. The helicopteros hospital in Puerto banus is first class. We are only in Spain 4 months a year but I would not like to risk a midnight emergency accessing public services. They also link well with private insurance companies.

So, aside from the annual membership to join Helicopteros, what do they charge for a call out? For example, if you called them out to attend the swollen eyelid and an injection was administered? Presumabably this is where they make their money.

Call out is included -so free. When my wife called them out they were very thorough with tests and examination . Injection provided was free. Prescription issued and collected from local pharmacy at normal costs.

Alcala Barry wrote:So, aside from the annual membership to join Helicopteros, what do they charge for a call out? For example, if you called them out to attend the swollen eyelid and an injection was administered? Presumabably this is where they make their money.

I think Suzies last sentence says it all "they link well with insurance companies" so although it is a great service it is just supplementary. If say you had a heart attack they would stabilise you and get you to hospital but then you need to either be in the system, have European health card or private insurance.

Len and Mike, thanks guys but I shan't be making a habit. Just wanted to recommend a really good GP.